The Bottom Line: Best of Defenses, Worst of Defenses

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.* * * When Tyron Woodley actively lobbied for a first title defense against Georges St. Pierre or Nick Diaz rather than Stephen Thompson, it reflected an exceedingly straightforward calculation. Fighting St. Pierre or Diaz meant more money and fame for the new welterweight champion; it also meant an opponent without a win since at least 2013 rather than the top contender on the upswing. That’s just how fight matchmaking works: Sometimes a fighter gets a more desirable opponent, and sometimes he or she gets a less desirable opponent. It’s pretty much always clear which is which, as much as Mickey Gall was strangely lavished with praise by the media for his revelatory observation that Sage Northcutt is in the former category.On the surface, Michael Bisping’s first Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title defense against Dan Henderson in the UFC 204 main event on Saturday in Manchester, England, appears to be a gift wrapped with a bow for the long-tenured Brit. That’s certainly the view of many fighters, fans and media members who have criticized the fight. There’s no escaping that the fight is desirable for Bisping in a number of ways. However, digging deeper, there are also some massive downsides for “The Count” in taking the fight. Bisping-Henderson 2 is one of the strangest fights of the year, not only in terms of a 46-year-old title challenger who has lost six of his last nine fights but in terms of all the unique pros and cons for the newly crowned champion. A rematch with Henderson is something Bisping desired long before winning the …

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